Local designer revisits, refurbishes home 30 years later

Published 8:09 am, Tuesday, December 6, 2011

A table made with two elephant tusks is shown in the Ector County home of John Holdridge.

A table made with two elephant tusks is shown in the Ector County home of John Holdridge.

Photo: Courtesy Photo

Local designer revisits, refurbishes home 30 years later

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When J.C. Chancellor of Chancellor Interiors drafted design plans for the home of John Holdridge, he made sure to include space to display the homeowner's first big kill, a large polar bear.

That was 30 years ago. When Chancellor returned to the Ector County home this fall, he included space for about 40 trophy mounts including deer, exotic cats, birds, water buffalo and, of course, the polar bear.

"I did his house 30 years ago and last year he asked me to come back and redo it," Chancellor said. "I was just really honored."

A member of the American Society of Interior Designers and the 14th registered interior designer in Texas, Chancellor has been doing residential and commerical design for 50 years. He is a graduate of Midland High School and the University of Texas.

"I was raised in Midland," he said. "I came here in '41 and my father came here in '28."

His interest in home design was sparked by his experiences growing up in Midland, he said.

"What got me interested in interior design was I lived across the street from the Turners," he said, referring to the old Midland house that since has become the Museum of the Southwest. "Their home was really 'it' in West Texas."

Now, Chancellor offices in the Wilco building in downtown Midland with a staff of three designers. Some of his clients are investors from Florida, New York and Massachusetts who have purchased properties in Midland. Others are West Texans who call on him to design their homes or office space.

Chancellor described Holdridge as a cowboy and entrepreneur with a penchant for fine art and antique furnishings.

"You have a cowboy, and then you come in and you have antique oil paintings from the 18th and 19th centuries," he said.

Holdridge's 8,500-square-foot home was built in 1980. It has six bedrooms and nine bathrooms.

Some of the unique items featured in the home design include an antique Dutch chandelier and mirror, French candelabras, a zebra hide rug, rugs from the Saudi royal family, a stuffed lion from South Africa and elephant tusks from Botswana.

"I'm an avid hunter and I've killed some animals and I wanted to mount them in the house," Holdridge said, noting the first time Chancellor worked on his home he had only the polar bear. "Now I have lions and leopards and elephants and all kinds of things."

Fine art from around the world is hung throughout the house. Holdridge, who also is a sculptor, said he's always been interested in art.

"I pick up a piece here and there and I've been fortunate to find a lot of artists who were just starting out and I bought a couple of their paintings and they've become famous," he said.

Chancellor and Holdridge purchased much of the antique furniture in Dallas during the 1980s.

"Dallas was more the center then, 30 years ago, of design," Chancellor said.

Because Holdridge chose quality pieces, Chancellor said he only needed to refurbish some of the items during the recent renovation; they didn't really need to buy any new furniture.

Holdridge described the project as an update and noted he was married when Chancellor first designed the house and now wanted to make the space more appealing to a single man.

"We did quite a facelift on the house," he said.

The two men — along with associate designer Tamara Rogers — worked together for eight months.

"It was quite an experience working with (Chancellor), he's a fine gentleman," Holdridge said. "I think he had fun doing it, too."